Insulator-support.



C. L; PEIRCE, JR.

INSULATUR SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.6, I916.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

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ATTORNEYS.

, ing or displacement.

UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. PEIRCE, JR., 0]? PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HUBBARD & (20., OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVAN IA.

INSULA'IOR-SUPPORT.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

Application filed April 6, 1916. Serial No. 89,365.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PEIRCE, J r., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the.county of Allegheny and State of Penns lvania, have 1nvented certain new and use ul Improvements in Insulator-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to insulator supports particularly to that class of supports made of cast iron or of sheet metal of comparatively heavy gage and with insulator receiving threads formed directly thereon.

Insulator supports of the above class are very unyielding 'at the insulator receiving end and the threading is not always true and smooth. Likewise, in insulators which are molded of porcelain or glass the threaded bore is not always of standard size and smooth. There is also considerable difference in the coefiicients of expansion of metal and glass or porcelain. Therefore, breakage frequently occurs during application of the insulator to the support or so much stress is put into the insulator during application that slight shocks or jars or unequal expansion or contraction will later on cause cracking or breaking of the insulator. The insulator receiving end of the support could, of'course, be made slightly smallerthan the insulator bores but then the insulator would not be seated securely enough on the support and would jar loose and attle or would turn with the slightest pull on the wires supported thereon.

In general the object of my invention is to provide construction and arrangement for overcoming the above referred to defects and to provide a rigid and secure yet yielding support for insulators.

More in detail the invention contemplates the provision of locking mechanism in the form of a lever structure comprising a longitudinal arm and a transverse arm so arranged that an insulator can readily be applied without straining'it and that during the final seating movement of the insulator the top of its bore will engage with the trans verse arm of the lever structure to shift the longitudinal arm yieldingly and, firmly against the insulator side to lock the insulator securely to the support against loosen- On the accompanying drawing I have shown an insulator support embodying the various features of my invention.

On this drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an insulator supporting bracket, Fig. 2 is a sectional view on plane 2-2, Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the insulator receiving end of the bracket, Fig. 4 is a similar view with the locking mechanism removed, and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a modified arrangement.

The supporting bracket shown is of U- shape and formed from a single piece of sheet metal, the body part 10 ofthe bracket being of arch or U-shapedcross-section, and

the limbs 11 and 12 being parallel or at an angle with each other. At the outer end of the bracket the limbs 11 and 12 are brought together to form the insulator receiving end 6 of circular'cross-section throughout, and this end has the threads 13 formed thereon for fitting the threads of insulators. Any suitable means may be provided for securing the bracket to a support. As shown wings 14: provided with bolt holes 15 extend laterally from. the inner end of the bracket.

In the front side of the insulator receiving end 6 is the longitudinal, slot 16 and at the upper end of this sl'ot a pivot member 17 extends transversely across the inside of the end 6 a distance to the rear of the slot 16. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the slot 16 and ivot member 17 are provided for during ormation of the blank for the bracket, that is, the ends of the limbs 11 and 12 are cut out, and these cut-out sections meet to form theslot 16 when the blank is bent and pressed into form. The pivot member 17 is in the form of a tongue out from the blank and then bent into the osition shown when the bracket is forme The pivot member supports an L-shaped lever strucinsulator such as I is applied to the threads 13, the top of the insulator bore will even- 'tually. engage with and press downwardly lid ' ver structure 18.

on the transverse'arm 20 of the lever, and the longitudinal arm 21 will be forced outwardly against the insulator side and the insulator will be locked against loosening or displacement. The arm 21 may be cri'mped as shown in accordance with the threads 13 in order to fit the insulator threads. To

limit the inward movement of the arm'21 its end 22 may be deflected at right angles into and through the end 6 to abut against the side opposite the slot 16. Preferably the arrangement is such that this end 22 will hold the longitudinal arm 21 a short distance outside of the slot 16 so that this arm will be sprung or deflected inwardly during application of the insulator. The end 23 of the arm 20 may be deflected downwardly into the end 6, the arm 20 being preferably arched upwardly so as to present a smooth and rounded engaging surface to the top of the insulator when the insulator is turned to final position to exert pressure on the arm 20 to rotate the lever 18 to force the arm 21 'outwardly against the insulator side. With the above arrangement the threads 13 can be of slightly smaller diameter than ordinarily inorder that the insulator will not be strained by engagingduring its application to the more or less unyielding end 6. During such application and before the insulator is finally seated the lever arm '21 will exert its spring action against the insulator to hold it firmly but yieldingly to the threads 13 and then when the insulator is finally seated the arm 21 will be positively forced more intimately against the insulator threads to then lock the insulator securely in seated. position. The insulator can readily be removed when desired, for as soon as it is turned backwardly its pressure against the lever arm 20 will be released and consequently the clamping engagement of the arm 21 against the insulator will be released so that the insulator can then be readily unscrewed.

As there will be considerable strain on the pivot arm 17 ll preferably support the free end thereof. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the metal at the top of the end 6 is cut away in the blank to leave the'seat 24: and shoulder 25 for the end of the tongue 17, the free end of the tongue resting on the seat 24 and against the shoulder 25 to be supported and strengthened against the downward and inward pressure thereon when'the insulator is seated against the lelln Fig. 5 l[ have shown a modified arrangement. Instead of forming the pivot member 17 integral with the bracket a steel pin 26 may be used and supported in the sides of the end 6 behind the slot 16. Also instead of using cylindrical wire for the lever structure as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, wire 27 of rectangular cross-section can be namesaused; or instead of bending the lever member from wire it could be otherwise formed.

Other changes and modifications are also possible which would all come within the scopeof the invention and I do not therefore desire to be limited to precisely what I have shown and described. The support of my invention gives a yielding seat at all times to the insulator so that the insulator is never under extraordinary strain and the insulator, after application is locked to the yielding seat against loosening or displacement and can be readily unscrewed when desired' I claim as follows: g

1. lln an insulator support, the combination with the insulator receiving end, of a locking lever pivoted on said end with one arm extending transversely thereover and v the other arm extending longitudinally downwardly, engagement of the top of an insulator with the transverse arm of the lever causing clamping of the longitudinal lever arm against the insulator side.

2. In an insulator support, the combination with an insulator receiving end, of a clamping member pivoted thereon in the path of the top and sides of an insulator to exert upward and lateral clamping pressure against an insulator when it is applied.

3. In an insulator support, the combination with an insulator receiving end, apivot member extending transversely across said end, a lever pivoted on said member and having one arm extending transversely across said end and above thetop thereof and having another arm extending downwardly adjacent the side of said end, said downwardly extending arm; being swung outwardly into clamping engagement with.

an insulator when the transverse arm is engaged by the insulator top.

4. In an insulator support, the combination with an insulator receiving end of circular cross-section, a pivot member extending transversely across said end at the top thereof, a longitudinally extending slot in said end below said pivot member, and a lever pivoted to said pivot member and having an arm extending transversely and above said end and having another arm extending downwardly adjacent said slot, said lever being free to swing to carry its downwardly extending arm laterally outwardly through said slot when pressure is applied to the transverse arm. I

5. In an insulator support, the combination with an insulator receiving end, of an insulator clamping member pivotally supported on said endand having a transverse arm and a longitudinal arm, said end having a slot for normally receiving said longitudinal arm, said transverse arm being in the path of the top of an insulator when a'pplied to said end and when engaged by the top effecting swing of the clamping member to force its longitudinal arm outwardly through the slot and against the insulator side. I v

6. In an insulator, the combination with an insulator receiving end having a longitudinal slot in its side, a pivot member ex-- tending transversely at the top of said end and slot, an L-shaped lever structure pivoted on said pivot member and having one arm extending transversely across the top of said end in the path of the tops of insulators applied to such end and having an arm extending downwardly and normally within said said lever is swung by the engagement of the insulator top with the transverse arm of the lever.

8. An insulator support comprising 'a body part formed from a single piece of sheet metal with its end of circular crosssection to form an insulator seat, said end having a' longitudinal slot, a pivot member extending across said end at the top of said slot, a lever structure of spring material pivoted on said pivot member to swing in a vertical plane and having an arm extending transversely with the top of said end and having-an arm extending downwardly in register with said slot, said transverse arm being engaged by an insulator top during final seating of an insulator on said end and said lever being swung during such engagement to force its longitudinal arm outwardly through said slot and against the insdulator side to clamp the insulator to the en In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of February, A. D., 1916.

CHARLES L. PEIRCE, JR. 

